City delays spray pad programs, approves new name for Bonivital pool

City shifts infrastructure plan to match province’s priorities

The city will delay some infrastructure priorities and add others, after the province required a portion of its 2025 municipal funding to be directed to different projects.

On Thursday, city council gave final approval to the changes, which were needed after the province did not approve about $5.5 million in projects the city had wanted to spend provincial infrastructure money on. That included $2.5 million for a spray pad program and $2.5 million for road safety improvements, a city report says.

Waverley West Fire station funding was also reduced by $508,000, to $2 million.

The province instead called on the city to spend $5 million on the Assiniboine Park Conservancy Animal Health Centre and $520,000 to help restore the St. Boniface Museum.

The Thursday vote finalizes the provincial changes. As a result, the city will delay its road safety and spray pad programs by one year, the report says, while unspent funds from other capital projects and federal funding will be used to restore the full fire station budget.

Bonivital Pool to get new moniker

A prominent St. Boniface pool will be renamed to honour a former federal minister and city councillor.

City council has approved a call to rename the Bonivital Pool to Dan Vandal Bonivital Pool.

A motion supporting the change notes Vandal served five terms as a city councillor for St. Boniface. He was also the federal member of Parliament for Saint Boniface–Saint Vital for more than 10 years and served as minister of northern affairs before he announced his retirement from politics.

Chief Peguis Trail extension moves forward

The Chief Peguis Trail extension will be weighed against other council priorities.

On Thursday, city council voted to refer the megaproject to city council’s next strategic priorities action plan, which is expected to begin next year.

City staff estimate the project will cost $759 million. The city would spend another $140 million on interest if it funds the construction solely through debt.

New measures approved to speed up some demolitions

New measures that will make it quicker to demolish some buildings have been approved.

City council cast a final vote Thursday to remove the requirement for a demolition variance process to be completed to tear down a home outside the downtown, in cases where the owner doesn’t have approved plans to build something else.

That process typically takes about a month or more. After its removal, the timeline to reach demolition should be reduced to about two weeks.

While the variance requirement was initially introduced to prevent lots from being left vacant for an extended time period, supporters say the need to remove vacant properties and prevent them from becoming neighbourhood eyesores now outweighs that risk.

Women’s recovery centre to proceed

An appeal against a women’s recovery centre has been rejected, allowing the project to proceed.

City council’s appeal committee cast the final vote Wednesday after a resident opposed the plan, citing traffic, noise and privacy concerns.

The vote clears the way for the Anne Oake Family Recovery Centre to move forward. The project is set to create a 75-bed women’s-only addictions treatment centre with a licensed daycare near Victoria General Hospital.

Scott Oake, a longtime Winnipeg sports broadcaster, is behind the project, which is named after his wife Anne, who died in 2021.

A $25-million campaign is underway to pay for the facility.